GB2145659A

GB2145659A - Big bale baler for agricultural crop material

Info

Publication number: GB2145659A
Application number: GB08421999A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerhard Clostermeyer; Werner Muller
Original assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Current assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Priority date: 1983-09-02
Filing date: 1984-08-31
Publication date: 1985-04-03
Also published as: DE3331671A1; GB2145659B; US4599844A; DE3331671C2; FR2551316A1; FR2551316B1; GB8421999D0

Description

1 GB 2 145 659 A 1

SPECIFICATION

Big bale baler for agricultural crop material The invention relates to a rolled bale baler for agricultural crop material. More specifically, it concerns a big bale baler for agricultural crop material having a baling chamber which is formed by driven winding rolls disposed in a circular configura- tion at a spacing from each other, having a means for wrapping around a finished bale a web of material which is introduced into the baling chamber in the region of the upper apex thereof through an introduction gap formed by two adjacent winding rolls, wherein the wrapping means, besides a storage container for the roll of material, has a pair of feed rolls and a severing means, which includes a knife, for the web of material.

US Patent No. 4 366 665 discloses a wrapping arrangement wherein, after the bale is finished the wrapping material which is in web form is fed to the baling chamber together wih the material to be baled, which is still passing into the chamber. There are no guide means, between the feed rolls for the wrapping material, and the mat of material to be baled which passes into the baling chamber therewith, for leading the leading end of the wrapping material into the baling chamber. The result is that the light very thin web material drifts away due to the influence of factors of various kinds. In addition, the bales illustrated operates in accordance with the so-called "Vermeer belt principle" such that the feed of wrapping material can be effected only in the feed region of the material to be baled.

The present Applicants sought ways of ensuring that the leading end of the web of material for wrapping around the finished bale is introduced into the introduction gap between the adjacent winding rolls and thus into the pressing chamber, separately from the feed flow of material to be baled and without being detrimentally affected by lateral drift or the like, while at the same time providing for operational reliability in the operation of severing the web of material after it has been passed completely around the bale of crop material.

According to the invention they propose that guide elements for ensuring the direction of travel of the web of wrapping material are disposed between the two feed rolls for the wrapping material and the gap through which the web of wrapping material is introduced, which gap is formed by two adjacent winding rolls that define the baling chamber.

More specifically, the invention provides a big bale baler for agricultural crop material having a baling chamber which is formed by driven winding rolls disposed in a circular configuration at a space from each other, having a means for wrapping around a finished bale a web of material which is introduced into the baling chamber in the region of the upper apex thereof through an introduction gap formed by two adjacent winding rolls, wherein the wrapping means, besides a storage container for the roll of material, has a pair of feed rolls and a severing means, which includes a knife, for the web of material, and wherein, disposed between two co-operating web feeding feed rolls and the in- troduction gap, are guide elements for ensuring the direction of movement of the web of material.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is de scribed in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a big bale pick-up baler for agricultural crop material; Figure 2 shows a view from the side of a region at the top of the baler, before the bale-wrapping operation is initiated; and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, after con clusion of the bale wrapping operation and after the web of material has been severed.

The baling chamber 2 which is carried by the main axle 1 is formed from two housing halves 3 and 4. The baling chamber is defined radially by driven winding rolls 5 which are supported by means of their spindles 6 in spaced-apart side walls of the respective housing halves 3 and 4. The housing half 4 is pivotally connected by way of brackets 7 to the housing half 3 which is fixed with respect to the baler chassis, and is pivoted upwardly by the piston cylinder unit 8 for the purposes of discharging a finished bale. At the top of the baler, a container 9 for the storage of wrapping material 10 extends between its side walls. Two co-operating feed rolls 11 and 12 extend adjacent to the container 9 and parallel thereto, also be tween the side walls of the baler, with the wrap ping material 10 being held or guided between the two feed rolls 11 and 12. The driven feed roll 11 which has a high friction surface is connected by way of a free wheel unit 13 to its drive spindle 14 which is actuated by a mechanical or hydraulic drive (not shown), when the wrapping material 10 is being advanced, until the wrapping material 10 is entrained or drawn in by the rotating bale 15.

The feed roll 12 only has to perform a pressing function in regard to the wrapping material between the feed rolls and for that reason is freely rotatably mounted at one end of a double-armed pivotal lever 16 which is engaged at its other end by a tension spring 17 which thus urges the feed roll 12 against the roll 11. A similar lever 16 (not shown) carries the other end of feed roll 12. The feed of wrapping material 10 into the baling cham- ber is effected by driving the roll 11. So that the wrapping material 10 frictionally engaged around the peripheral surface of the roll 11 at the maxi mum possible angle, disposed upstream of the pair of rolls 11 and 12, as viewed in the direction of movement of the wrapping material 10, is a di rection-changing roller 18 which is disposed at a lower level. The severing mechanism 19 for the wrapping material 10, which comes into action after the finished bale 15 has been completely wrapped around, comprises a pivotally mounted knife carrier 20 with a cutting blade 21, an arresting means 22 and a spring loaded bar 30 which is supported by the baler housing (see for example our co-pending U.K. Patent Application No.

2 GB 2 145 659 A 2 8416835). Between the feed rolls 11 and 12 and the two winding rolls 5a and 5b the wrapping material 10 passes through a guide shaft or passage 23 which also extends between the side walls of the machine and which comprises non-magnetic sheet metal wall portions 24 and 25 which are assembled together in a hopper-like configuration. The wall portion 24 which is towards the severing mechanism 19 extends almost as far as the knife carrier 20 when it is in its extened limit position. The wall portion 25 extends in a continuous configuration into the region of the introduction gap 26 for the wrapping material 10, between the adjacent winding rolls 5a and 5b. In the region of pivotal move- ment of the knife carrier 20 and the cutting blade 21 thereof, the wall portion 25 has a pocket-like bulge portion 27 which permits the knife to enter therein and the upper edge 28 of which forms a cutting anvil for the wrapping material 10. In the embodiment illustrated (see Figures 2 and 3), an extension portion 29 of resilient material adjoins the pocket-like bulge portion 27. The lower wall portion (extension portion 29) which extends into the gap 26 reliably prevents the wrapping material from contacting the winding roll 5b which would otherwise cause misrouting of the wrapping material. Any air flows which have an adverse effect on the downwardly hanging end of the wrapping material 10, before the commencement of a binding operation, are also reliably screened out by the wall portions 24 and 25.

Claims

1. A big bale baler for agricultural crop material having a baling chamber which is formed by driven winding rolls disposed in a circular configuration at a spacing from each other, having a means for wrapping around a finished bale a web of ma- terial which is introduced into the baling chamber in the region of the upper apex thereof through an introduction gap formed by two adjacent winding rolls, wherein the wrapping means, besides a storage container for the roll of material, has a pair of feed rolls and a severing means, which includes a knife, for the web of material, and wherein, disposed between two co-operating web feeding feed rolls and the introduction gap, are guide elements for ensuring the direction of movement of the web of material.

2. A baler according to claim 1 wherein the guide elements comprise two spaced-apart guide plate members which extend substantially across the width of the baling chamber, the guide plate member which is nearer the severing knive terminating shortly above the path of movement of the knife and the other guide plate member extending into the region between the adjacent winding rolls and being provided with a pocket-like bulge portion which permits the knife to enter therein and the upper edge of which forms a cutting support for the web of material.

3. A baler according to claim 2 wherein the guide plate members comprise non-magnetic ma- terial.

4. A baler according to claim 3 wherein the guide member with the pocket-like bulge portion is extended by an extension portion of resilient mate rial into the gap between the winding rolls.

5. A baler according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein one of the feed rolls is a driven feed roll and is formed with a surface having a high fric tional valve.

6. A baler according to claim 5 wherein, dis posed upstream of the pair of feed roll as viewed in the direction of movement of the web of material, is a direction-changing roller for the webb of material, the roller being disposed at a lower level than the dirven feed roll to cause the web of mate- rial to extend over a large angle around the driven feed roll.

7. A big bale baler for agricultural crop material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

Printed in the UK for HMSO, D8818935, 2185, 7102. Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.